Indonesia’s Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the world’s biggest Islamic organization with around 100 million members, has demanded the resignation of its chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf after he invited a US scholar known for supporting Israel during the Gaza war, Reuters reported.
According to meeting minutes reviewed by the news agency, NU’s leadership gave Staquf three days to step down or face removal. The decision cited his invitation to a person “affiliated with an International Zionism network” for an internal event in August, as well as alleged financial mismanagement.
NU official Najib Azca confirmed the move was linked to Staquf’s invitation of former US official and scholar Peter Berkowitz, who spoke at NU seminars on Western political thought. Berkowitz has written extensively in support of Israel’s campaign in Gaza, including a September article rejecting genocide allegations.
Staquf, who has led NU since 2021, apologized for the invitation, calling it an oversight. He said he had not carefully checked Berkowitz’s background and stressed that he condemned Israel’s “brutal genocidal acts in Gaza.”
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, though it has been previously reported that Israel is in contacts to normalize relations with Indonesia.
Several years ago, then-Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on Muslim nations to unite in fighting Israel.
In 2021, the country’s foreign minister expressed her country’s firm position in support of the Palestinian Authority in ending the “Israeli occupation of its land”.
However, current President Subianto said recently that his country is ready to open diplomatic ties with Israel if it recognizes “Palestine” as an independent state.